Master Your Learning: Just in Time vs. Just in Case
Just in Time
You and your friends get together and decide to start an app that locates the nearest bathroom. Justin knows how to code the iOS app, Christina knows how to code the Android app, and you’re stuck with the task of finding the location of every bathroom in existence. Other than manually counting, you have no idea how to find every bathroom in existence. You are stuck in a situation where you acknowledge an informational abyss separating you from your goal. Luckily, you find a blog post somewhere titled “How to Find Every Bathroom in Existence”. You apply the contents to your immediate problem. You are saved.
Just in Case
You are a Finance Major. You take a class called Financial Success. You are taught how to declare bankruptcy after your father gives you a small loan of $1,000,000. You study tirelessly to pass your exam. You go over every legal implication and the entire process from start to finish. You are an expert in how to declare bankruptcy after your father gives you a small loan of $1,000,000… for two weeks. After that two week period, this information gets thrown into the messy brain cabinet overflowing with random tidbits of information you will not use regularly, such as writing in cursive and how to draw shadows with pastels (thanks Mr. Davis). You are not going to immediately apply what you learned and the memory becomes more opaque with time. When that day that your father gives you a small loan of $1,000,000 and you need to declare bankruptcy comes, you will remember next to nothing from the class you took even though you got an A on the exam.
Active vs. Passive
This goes to the difference between active and passive learning through Dale’s Cone of Learning. Following the chart you can see the stark difference in retention with active and passive, but the chart itself has its limitations. The first constraint is that not everyone learns the same, so be wary of whether you’re more of an audio or visual learner. The second constraint is the limitations of the human attention span. There are certain things that are impractical and too time consuming to commit to learn through experience; your attention can only reasonably be focused on a handful of things. That being said, a combination of theoretical learning and a few key experiences should take you to an adequate understanding. Following the Pareto Principle (80% of the results come from 20% of the motions/learning), you should be able to effectively hack Dale’s Cone of Experience through a synergistic combination of active/passive learning. Pairing Just in Time and Just in Case learning is one of the first hacks you can do for optimal information retention and mental growth.
The learning experience is enhanced if the information is attached to a current problem. Our brain sifts through the material looking to build immediate connections to find a solution. Your problem now becomes a relevant real world example running through your head. For a definite task and structured practical learning, Just in Time information is your way to go.
However don’t let this discourage you from Just in Case information. This kind of learning encourages creativity, and you never know if it can spark a connection with something else you learned that was dormant. This is the guy stranded in the desert who survives because he remembers watching Bear Grylls drink his own pee on TV a few years ago. Your combination of experiences and knowledge gives you a unique advantage over everyday problems, and the more things you learn the greater your opportunity to contribute a new solution.
Thankfully Google has made Just in Time information readily available and accessible. Personally, as a more visual learner, I’ve found the best way to retain the Just in Case information is to create a spreadsheet with a brief summary of the content, what you learned, and memorable quotes, stats, and figures that can be used in the future. There’s also nothing that says you can’t make Just in Case Information Just in Time. Connect your formal education to something practical. If you’re learning how to build a website, build your own alongside it. If you’re taking physiology classes, try weight training. If you’re learning about entrepreneurship, start your own company. If you’re taking child development class, have a kid. Go crazy.*
I hope this helps. *This is a clause releasing me of personal liability in case you listen to me and irreversibly mess your life up. It’s in writing. That’s how law works, right?
About the author: Alex Moskov is a serial entrepreneur and cereal destroyer. He is a self-improvement junkie and a master of self deprecating humor. He is also very humble. More humble than you are. Probably in the Top 5 Humble People Under 30 in the game right now. In his arsenal of skills and interests, he also writes. And it’s not always in third person describing himself. Like this.
